Mental Illness Is Different For Everyone

Mental illnesses are not like chicken pox. You can’t catch them. They don’t just go away, and the symptoms and side effects are not the same for everyone.

A little over a week ago I started taking a different sleeping pill. Within 12 hours I was sick. I was nauseous. I felt like I had a fever. I was gagging. I had other “tummy troubles.” It was horrible. I have felt that way ever since. YUCK!

But you know what? I’ve asked two people who take it if they ever experienced these side effects and neither had had any problem with it. For me, phew, it has been rough. I just feel physically ill and working hard as a busy barista 6 of the past days I’ve been on this medication has been so hard.

My point? It isn’t the same for everyone. One medication I take that has reeked havoc on my digestive system, did nothing to my friends. I take high dosages of anxiety meds. Some people wouldn’t be able to drive with them in their system. I can’t drive without them.

And depression. It shows itself in many ways. For me, it starts as irritability, then fatigue, than hopelessness, than suicidal ideation. For some people, depression equals anger. Sometimes, while depressed, I eat and eat. Some episodes I have had to force myself to eat. So even every episode is somewhat unique for the same person.

I have to remind myself that everyone lives with his or her illness in his or her own way. I don’t know everything. I don’t know what depression feels like for you, I only know it the way I have experienced it.

Medication effects everyone differently. I know what my illnesses feel like – what my personal symptoms feel like, what side effects I experience – and because I know how bad it can get, I can try to help you through it.

Image courtesy of Idea go at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mental Illness Is Different For Everyone

Elaina J. Martin

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APA Reference
Martin, E. (2016). Mental Illness Is Different For Everyone. Psych Central.
Retrieved on May 25, 2019, from https://blogs.psychcentral.com/being-bipolar/2016/06/19/mental-illness-is-different-for-everyone/

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